Teeny Tiny Affection
by Sam Le Faie
Summary: Renji mocked her, and he was going to pay. But now Rukia needs a teacher, a Bankai teacher, and what better person than the man who had grasped it in 2 days flat? It was perfect, except that her lessons of ice & snow were soon burning fiery hot and red.
1. Sweating It Out

This is a new story that I've been working on recently. It's written on a lighter, more casual tone that Lying Loves. So yeah, enjoy! And don't forget to review if possible, they really do help a lot.

Thanx!

Faie.

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><p><strong>1: Sweating It Out<strong>

"Huff ... Get off me ... You're squishing me. Huff ... "

"Does it look like I can, woman? Your damned leg's hooked on the obi belt. It's gotten all loose now, no thanks to you."

"How about this, bozo. You move your ass outta my face and I'll move my leg."

"Fine, midget. But give me some support, my leg's all cramped up from you straddling them."

"Agh! Asshole! Don't press down there. They're important!"

"What's the problem? It's not as though you had much to begin with. Besides, shouldn't you worry more about the daily binding than me pressing down for a second?"

"Ha, a second? At your speed? Besides, I don't bind them that tightly, it'd hurt. You, on the other hand, weigh a whopping 154 pounds, you over-fed baboon!"

"Hey! My baboon could kick your miniature ass all the way to Rukongai! "

"What! Say that again, I dare you. I'll turn you into a popsicle!"

"O yeah, you make _snow_. And while I make an angel, you could ask your wimpy pal Hana to pick you up from Rukongai, cause I sure as hell WON'T!"

"At least he had the guts to fight for me at the tower. You got locked in jail for being so damned weak!"

"Listen, midget. I trained as hard and tough as strawberry back then in order to save you. Bankai isn't as easy as you think it is. I'd like to see you release yours!"

"Whatever, dude. You still lost. You got your wooden worm thrown back at your face by my brother! NOW GET OFF ME BEFORE I SCREAM RAPE!"

"Like anyone would find a midget tempting ... Stop hitting me! I'm moving already!"

"Faster, bozo! I'm already late for the meeting. Nii-sama's going to want to kill me. AGAIN."

"Like he could bear to. Stop moving your legs, the belt's getting more entangled!"

"Then untie it, it ain't as if I've never seen your fat tummy before."

"You ... !"

"Alright, alright people knock it off here. You guys are making a scene."

"But, Matsumoto! He started it! That clumsy ass."

"Rukia, you know better than to let that get to you. Have all the etiquette lessons you've been receiving gone to waste?"

"Ha, you bet! All she does there is embarrass her brother with lousy flower arrangements and spilt tea. Or...or...how about the time the sensei asked her to showcase a talent and she cut the fusuma (opaque sliding doors) in two! Or when she had to dance in a kimono and she tripped on her own two left feet!"

"Argh! How'd you know about that? O wait, don't tell me. Another girl in my class likes you?"

"Heh."

"Such bad taste, such rotten, such disgusting, revolting, abhorring ..."

"Hey! Watch it, midget. You're just lonely cause he disappeared again to train with the white faced weirdoes."

"You watch it! I don't need him around anyway."

"Guys, won't you stop now?"

"Oh please, I know you cry into your pillow at night for him. Oh! Oh! I miss you, Ichi... Hey! Watch the fist, brat!"

"Shut up. You're just jealous cause you don't have anyone to cry for."

"Haha, does that mean you admit crying for him?"

"What! No, of course not!"

~the sound of the fusuma sliding open is drowned out~

"Matsumoto-Fukutaichou."

"Oh, you're from the 6th Gotei squad."

"I bear a message from Kuchiki-Taichou. He is now on his way to pick up Lady Kuchiki for her lesson. He has grown weary of waiting for her to appear."

"Ah. Great. I'll let him handle this. I still have reports to submit to Hitsugaya-Taichou anyway. You had better leave soon too."

"Sigh. I wish you both the best of luck."

~the fusuma slides shut~

"Rabbit-freak!"

"Pineapple-hair!"

"Chibi nut!"

"Fat-a...Nii-sama!"

"What...? Shit! Uh...uh... Taichou, what are you doing here? This...it's not what it looks like!"

"Before I even dare to question what ridiculous words are coming out of your mouth, Rukia, I want to know what his hands are doing on your waist."

"It was his fault, Nii-sama! He tripped and got himself tangled up in his own belt!"

"What! You lying..."

"Get off her."

"Hai, Taichou!"

"Now, let's go, Rukia. The entire class has been waiting."

"Yes...Nii-sama."

"And you, I've got work for you."

"The reports on the Hueco Mundo raid, Taichou?"

"No. Seeing as though you've got so much energy to spare even after Jujitsu training, you can go wipe down every inch of the squad's meeting room. The room still smells from when Shunsui led his band of drunken ruffians about on a parade last night."

"What! Ye...yes. Taichou."

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><p>I wrote this when I was feeling bored, so pardon me if it's lame-assed. And despite how it sounds so far, relax people, this is still going to be an IchixRukia fic. Just feeling a little directionless now about the Loves.<p>

Faie.


	2. Troubled

**2: Troubled**

"Damn it, Shinji! You almost lopped off my arm! What the hell is your problem?"

"Ne, Ichigo. Isn't it time we got some rest? We've been going at this for nearly 8 hours now. You may carry on if you choose to, but I want catch the 9pm thriller."

"What the hell? You're abandoning me for television?"

"Ichigo..."

"No! Come at me again!"

"Ugh. Forget it. There's something stressing you out right now, and it's not a lack of training. Go home, Ichigo. We'll continue this next week."

Combing his hand through his straight blond hair, Shinji disappeared up the staircase from the training battle grounds, leaving one spiky-haired male standing there by himself, disbelief in his features.

Grunting with annoyance, Ichigo stuck his sword nearly a quarter meter into the ground, sending dust swirling about his feet. Heading towards the mini onsen a couple yards away, he untied his obi and shed the sticky clothing. He slipped into the pool of cool, clear water and leaned back, his eyes gazing at the mock sky above him and sighed.

Shinji had hit the nail right on its head though, he was too troubled to concentrate on the fights. More than thrice now, he had suffered a bloodied slash from his opponent's fierce attacks. He'd managed to roll out of harm's way in time before a follow-up blow, but it had cost him valuable energy and had sealed up some optimal chances for striking his foe. His anger and frustration must have shown, for Shinji had seemingly become more disinterested in the fight after the first few close calls.

Ichigo ran water through his hair, trying to wash out as much dried blood as possible. His Vaizard training, coupled with the fact that Soul Society seemed to require his help on an alarming basis, had taken a serious toll on his relationship with his family and school grades.

What the hell were the captains doing? Weren't they supposed to be astoundingly powerful, ass-kicking honour graduates? Why couldn't the boss of bosses, head kingpin Yamamoto simply raze the enemies' HQ to the ground just like he did the Sokyoku?

Karin and Yuzu were growing up so fast, they hardly even needed their brother anymore. It was as though the Kurosaki family had moved on with their lives, and he'd missed the train, all while he'd been busy saving strangers' asses left and right.

In school... his rank had fallen to the bottom quarter, even dunce Keigo was ahead of him! Not to mention that his frequent absenteeism, his degrading smarts and vibrant orange hair had made him a hit amongst girls thinking him a rebel. Popularity was nice, but not when it tried to kiss you or drag you to ridiculous dances.

Speaking of which, there was the winter prom coming up in 3 months time... Ichigo groaned. He would have to find a new place to hide after fan-girls had tore through the last one. Maybe... Here? It was secure, after all.

The training grounds was disturbingly similar to where Urahara had once trained him when he had first lost his Shinigami powers to Byakuya, where the grinning bastard had almost gotten him killed with an impromptu Hollow transformation. Maybe Shinji had commissioned him to set it up? Sandal-Hat did seem to attract eccentric people, such as one annoyingly liberal woman-cat-man.

He surveyed the barren landscape, the place where he had fought against death for survival...the memory of the soul-chain parasites popped into his mind's eye, and he shivered. That had been plain terrifying. Damn Byakuya for making him undergo that. He was lucky Ichigo didn't have enough money to sue for PTSD.

And... For taking Rukia, his own sister, away to the executioner's blade. It was a good thing he had redeemed himself by protecting her from Gin, that fox-faced asshat, else Ichigo would have probably torn his wounds open again.

But after the Aizen crisis, Poker-face had once again exerted his "I'm your older brother" iron-fisted control over Rukia, by banning, BANNING, her from leaving Soul Society. And of all things, claimed it was because she needed to undergo etiquette classes. As if flower vases were going to save her from the damned Espada!

Though... If he knew her well enough, which he did, he figured she could probably protect herself by flinging the sharp ends of stalks like a rain of deadly blades at her enemies.

The very thought of it made him grin. It was a genuine smile that actually reached his eyes, not the patronizing ones he'd been using recently to brush off girls. Ichigo plunged his head into the water, feeling a rush of tiny bubbles tickle the sides of his face.

Rukia... What are you doing now?

* * *

><p>"Damn it! How dare Renji mock me about my lacking a Bankai? I was locked up away in the Tower of Repentance, for criss' sake!"<p>

Rukia paced about the room, grumbling and muttering angrily to herself, her feet wearing a patch in the tatami mat. She pondered over several delightful thoughts on how to get him into more trouble... Stealing his Soul Slayer? Leaving strands of red-hair outside the women's open-air onsen? No, those were all too trivial. She wanted something stronger... Something that would leave him sulking on more than a dirty cloth and sake-stained clothes.

And that's when it hit her.

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that from the very beginning? Renji managed to do it, why can't I? And I'll make sure that I achieve my Bankai in a shorter time. "

The longer she considered the idea, the more perfect it seemed. Except...

"How do I go about doing it anyway? Definitely NOT Renji. But... Byakuya Nii-sama would probably refuse to teach me, since he knows that I would rather choose training over classes anytime. I can't trust any of the other captains to not rat me out to him. It's a pity that Ukitake-Taichou has taken ill again..."

Rukia knew that Shihouin Youichi had taken Ichigo under her wing for Bankai training but after the recent battles, she had disappeared along with Urahara on one of their Epic-let's-train-around-the-world adventures again. And if the teacher's gone, that would leave the student...

Kurosaki Ichigo.

She felt a smile warm her face. The last time she had seen him, he had become absurdly powerful. And if he could achieve Tensa Zangetsu in only 2 days, he would be the best teacher of them all. Surely he could spare out a few days to help her.

Clapping once, she announced loudly to no one, her voice full of pride. "That's it. I've decided. 6th Gotei Squad Fukutaichou, Abarai Renji, you'd had best watch out! I'm going to shock you silly." She grinned to herself.

"Now, all I need is a plan to sneak out of Soul society for a few days..."

"Lady Kuchiki, Sensei was just looking for you. It's about the simulated training session she mentioned in the last lesson.."

"Ah. Ok, I'll be right there! Thanks!"

And that, Rukia thought to herself, smiling, was the best thing she had heard all day.

* * *

><p>The upcoming reunion! The Strawberry and The Midget clash! Hang on to your seats, folks.<br>Haha.

Faie.

Ps: I've never had the time to watch all the way to Ichigo's training as a Vaizard, so if I've made any mistakes, pls do enlighten me. Thanx.


	3. Looking Into Your Eyes

**3: Looking Into Your Eyes**

The kimono-clad girl dashed out into the waiting hall shouting for her brother, and saw him sitting on a stone bench in the Japanese rock garden, flipping through a leather bound tome. Behind her followed her flustered Sensei, her face harried with worry.

"Lady Kuchiki! Please don't make such a ruckus, it's not lady-like!"

She was ignored.

"Byakuya nii-samaaaaaa! Nii-sama, nii-sama, nii-sama, nii-sama! Kitte, kiite! Oh, put away your stuffy old, grandfather book."

"Rukia, cease your barbarism at once and I'll listen to you." Byakuya barely glimpsed at her, his slightly tilted head was the only sign that he had acknowledged her presence. "Also, this grandfather book happens to be one of the earliest collections of acceptable etiquette behaviour. I highly suggest you read it."

"Nii-sama." She stated, her voice earnest.

"What is it?"

"Nii-sama." She said again, her tone this time firm and slightly demanding.

Sighing, Byakuya turned to face his sister.

"Sensei has suggested a lesson that would teach us how to behave in real-life simulations. But, it requires a week-long trip into the 1st and 2nd districts."

At the sight of the growing skeptical expression on her brother's face, she tried selling her point again, desperation creeping into her tone.

"Wouldn't it be so much faster for me to learn about etiquette during formal events instead of reading book after book? I would surely come back a changed person, Nii-sama!"

She did have a point. Byakuya turned towards the Sensei standing by the rock pool, and she gave him a tiny nod as an affirmation. Looking back at Rukia, he studied her eyes, so full of earnest, and exhaled softly. It was hard to say no to that face, one that bore so much resemblance to her sister's.

Calling for someone to come collect the thick tomes, he spoke a single word before turning away with a flourish of his Captain's cloak, the pale emerald kenseiken gleaming bright under the sunlight.

It was a single word, uttered with a tart tone, but it was enough to cause Rukia to leap up into the air with joy, before dashing off to get ready to leave the next day.

* * *

><p>It wasn't all that hard, but it had taken some scheming, and she was quickly discovering that she had much aptitude for that. Procuring a camouflage spell from Nemu, she didn't dare approach Kurotsuchi-Taichou himself, she had easily disguised a fake soul with her own image. While Shadow Rukia would tag along with the class to boring lesson after boring lesson, she would have long disappeared to the human realm, catching up with an old acquaintance.<p>

She had packed extra tubes of Chappy (Finally! Stock had come in) Soul Candy, Yuzu's old dress and nighties into a simple small pouch hidden in the larger one she had packed from the trip. The disguised soul was tucked away safely in a container in her pocket.

After a quick and faux emotional goodbye to her brother and her friends, she strode out the Society's gates, her grand plan already in motion. Rukia planned to activate the soul only after she had managed to sneak away from the group. The switcheroo would then occur at an isolated spot before S. Rukia rejoined the group.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes into the journey and she was already fretting.<p>

"Come on, come one! Where's my opportune moment? Ichigo awaited, her Bankai awaited!" A few more minutes passed and there seemed to be no sign of any change. Damn it, she cursed inwardly. If there wasn't one, she'd create it!

"Sensei!"

"Yes, Lady Kuchiki?"

"I saw a really beautiful flower back there in the woods! May I go have a closer look at it? I'll just be a minute!"

Without waiting for a reply, Rukia dashed off into the cluster of trees. When she was confident that she was no longer in sight, she activated the Soul, giving clear and detailed instructions on how to maintain absolute secrecy about her disappearance.

Rukia watched her shadow approach the group, her gait confident and so very similar to her own, she doubted anyone in the group would be able to tell the difference. When the troupe had finally disappeared from view, she dashed off on her own way, a route that she had planned out the night before, one that led her straight to an unsecured area of Rukongai where she could open up the portal without anyone seeing.

It was easy as 1-2-3. Sure, she wasn't supposed to open gateways without prior permission, but right now, her honour was at stake. And if she had learned one thing from Byakuya Nii-sama, it was that honour mattered above all else. He'd understand, eventually. The Kuchikis would never turn away in defeat, with their tails tucked between. No, they'd fight back, and that was just what she was going to do.

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><p>One thing she hadn't encountered for upon arriving in Karakura Town was her lack of cash. She had long polished off her onigiri, and now her stomach was aching painfully. Damn it. Ignoring the growls, she dashed along the familiar streets along a route she knew so well, stopping to hide only whenever she felt a hint of Reiatsu in the air.<p>

Sneaking in through his unlocked (just as she had remembered) window, she plopped comfortably on his bed, the soft cotton feeling nothing like the hard platform she had to sleep on in Soul Society. A loud sigh of bliss escaped her lips. She couldn't remember ever feeling so ...

Hungry. Oh yeah.

Slinging her pouch onto the bed, she nimbly hopped off the bed and darted downstairs. Nothing in the fridge, nothing in the pantry ... Were the Kurosakis on a frickin' diet? And that's when she saw the white note taped onto the upper cabinet's door, with lines chicken scratched out with a pen, as if someone had vented out frustration there.

"To my dearly beloved son, the decayed fruit of my loins, the rotten apple of my eye. While you were gone, Yuzu, Karin and I have decided to disappear on a wonderful family trip to the Bahamas for a week, we'll be back on Tuesday. I left money on the table. Remember to eat healthy to stay healthy. If I found out that you've only been having Insta-Ramen everyday, you'll be in for it when I get back!

Ps. The pantry has ants. Keep your food in here.

XOXOXOXO, dad."

Yes! Who knew what delights the cabinet held?  
>Rukia flipped open the double doors, anticipating and saw...<p>

She eyed the contents blandly. Wow, Ichigo. The shelves were lined with nothing but cup ramen, chilli crab ramen, beef ramen, pork ramen. .. And wait ... what's that?

5 minutes later, Rukia was staring at the television screen, the channel tuned to the Animal Planet, slurping from her steaming cup of noodles. Every now and then, she would hold the cup up in front of her, juxtaposing it against the lit screen and grin weirdly.

Usagi brand noodles and usagis hopping about the screen. Life couldn't get any better than this.

* * *

><p>"Ugh! I'm so tired," Ichigo moaned as he flipped the lock on the door, dragging his weary body along with him into the house, his school bag trailing heavily at his feet.<br>As he slipped his shoes off, he heard an odd screeching noise coming from the living room, a bright light flashing in the dusky glow of the evening sun. "What the ... "

The tv was on, playing a scene of an eagle swooping down to snare its prey, but there was no one sitting there. Shit, did he leave it on throughout the day? Cursing, he looked about for the remote. Stupid thing had disappeared. Again. Walking all the way to the screen was a hassle, so he simply flipped the main electrical switch, and trudged up the stairs. He took a quick shower and slipped into a pair of comfortable, worn jeans.

He tugged the curtains shut, and the room was thrown into utter darkness, but its layout had already long been imprinted deep into his subconscious memory. Pulling the sheets roughly off the bed, he groaned when a jumble of items clattered loudly onto the floor. Damn it, any more times and he could just throw the battered alarm clock away.

Making wild grasps at the floor, he was surprised when his hand came into contact with something plastic, but soft. Grabbing for his phone on the desk, his jaw dropped in utter shock as a small light illuminated the object. It had been a long while since he last saw it, but he definitely recognized this bag as Yuzu's. One that had gone "missing" for months now. A stolen item, just like her bunny print PJ's and green cotton dress.

But ... It couldn't be. It had to still be in Soul Society, just like how _she_was. And it was impossible that she could even be he...

The door flung open with a deafening bang.

"Ichigo! Why did you turn off th... Damn it, why is so dark in here? Ichi... Ouch! Stupid thing!"

His eyes already accustomed to the dark, he stared as a small form reach down, pick something up and fling it hard against the wall. A loud ringing emanated from the corner of the room. Ah. So the clock had fallen too.

"Ichigo, where are you? I know you're here."

Was it really that dark? He should turn on the lights, even his phone would do the trick, but somehow his hand refused to budge. He saw her reach out blindly ahead of her, her hands swinging about wildly near his chest as she edged forward slowly. The sudden fear of her backhand slap snapped his senses awake and he reached back to flip the light switch of his table lamp.

All of a sudden, the room was lit with a tiny, but far-reaching gleam, and he was staring down into her face, one of her hands nearly at his cheek.

He saw her recoil on instinct, as the light had blinded her. Her face was scrunched up in an adorable frown and her large black eyes half-lidded. He studied her, oddly curious. She still sported the same hairstyle, except that now her hair was longer, falling past her shoulder. Her height hadn't changed though, not even an inch. Her head still barely cleared his shoulder. He watched as her face cleared up, her smiling eyes gazing into his and a quirk of her lips at the corner of her mouth.

"Long time no see, Ichigo."

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><p>Unlike the first two, this chapter took me 3 days. Work's really draining me out. Hope you guys enjoy it.<p>

Ps: Check out Lying Loves too, the style of writing is different for the first few chapters cause they were penned in 2008. The fic was dropped, but I've just restarted it. Guaranteed an engaging plot and lots of delicious AthrunxCagalli sweetness.

When I have time, maybe after L. L, I'll be starting on the prequels to That Autumn Day. Planning's already commenced.

Thanx for all your support!

Faie.


	4. Teach Me About Reunions

**4: Teach Me About Reunions  
><strong>

Rukia sat at the edge of the sofa, her hand still gripping the forgotten cup of ramen as the Tv droned on in the background. She fidgeted about nervously on her seat, folding and unfolding her legs, patting down her clothes and twiddling her fingers.

Was her presence so shocking that it had drained him of speech?

The sight of her had thrown him into disbelief; so much so that he had even responded to her "Hi." with a dropped jaw. After that, Ichigo had led her downstairs, flipped the Tv back on and pushed her half-eaten cup of noodles into her hands, with a single word of "Eat." He had settled down into the couch opposite her and dropped his head backwards over the couch in a lazed position, his arms sprawled over the length of the backrest.

Rukia figured that the Tv and noodles were probably meant to distract her while he did his... thinking. Instead, she found her eyes inexplicably drawn towards the slumped figure of the boy sitting near her. It had been almost a year since she had last seen him, and he didn't look nearly as different as she'd thought he would, yet not exactly the same.

As per always, he wore a scowl on his face. It was muted now, but undeniably still there. He still had his bright orange hair cropped short, but the wet strands trailed down his forehead, flattening out the spikes. If it wasn't for the strange color, she could have mistaken him for another prickly-tempered teen, no pun intended.

The only real difference there was lay in the tone of his body. His physique was no longer that of the skinny boy whom she had first met in Karakura so long ago, not even that of the fellow who had trashed Aizen. Sure, he wasn't as bulked up as Renji was, but whatever he had been doing this past year had certainly tailored out his figure well.

Rukia's mind drifted off to the Speedo-donning models of bronzed beauty and oiled perfection that her classmates used to fawn over back when she was still a student. No matter how much her friends had tried to convince her, those pictures had failed to engender a spark of interest. She didn't know them, so why should she care if they had an 8-pack?

Ichigo was however, a different story. She knew him. And perhaps it was the nostalgia of seeing him again speaking, but, to have him lying there so near to her, his well-sculpted, bare torso nearly within her arm's reach... The thought of it was weird ... and oddly exciting.

Rukia nearly dropped her noodles when he suddenly looked up and spoke.

"Hi."

Eh...

Ichigo combed his fingers through his wet hair frustratedly and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees as he stared at the flickering screen. "Well, for one. I never did get to say it just now. So... there. Uh. Your turn."

That was surprising. But then, he was never much of a conversationalist. And since neither of them was the type to beat around the bush...

"Teach me... Help me attain my Bankai."

Ichigo's arm slipped off his leg and he nearly fell off the couch, nonplussed. Coughing embarrassedly, he forced himself back up and stared at her face, trying to pick up any signs of a joke. But all he saw was the utmost earnest. He had no idea of what to make of this sudden revelation, so he blurted out whatever slipped off his tongue the easiest.

"Buh."

Rukia's stared at him steadily, as she repeated her words, conviction in her tone.

Ichigo tensed. She expected him to... What?

"I haven't seen you in over a year, what with you so immersed in those crapped-up manner lessons. And then you suddenly show up, outta the blue, in my _house_, and ask me to teach you? Rukia, what the hell? To leave, or to stay, make up your damned mind!"

The moment he stopped to catch his breath, he felt regret. He hadn't meant to let himself go that much. Warily, Ichigo sneaked a peek at her face.

Shit.

Frankly, he wasn't all that surprised to see her stunned expression. Her fingers were curled tightly against the dress, wrinkling the material gravely. Her violet eyes, already naturally large, had widened even further. This wasn't usually how a reunion between two lost friends went, and Ichigo felt as though he should apologize.

Sucking in a breath, he looked up. "Rukia..."

"Sorry." His words caught when she looked straight into his face, her expression contrite.

"I know I haven't been the most present person this year. But you know why that's so, so you can't exactly blame me for that." At his knowing look, Rukia continued on, encouraged.

"But now, I really do need your help. Someone laughed, and I want payback. _Badly_. And... You should be most aware of how much honour means to us Kuchikis."

Ichigo couldn't argue with that. Byakuya's indiscretion of dueling him at the execution grounds was enough proof of their self-pride. For the first time since he had seen her again, he managed rational thought.

If Rukia stayed to learn, he would have someone else to occupy his time with other than the Vaizards. Not to mention that even her timing was good. His family would not be around for the next 5 days, so they wouldn't have to sneak.

He could have someone else help him hone his own Reiatsu, maybe even teach him the kidou spells he was sorely lacking out on. He could break free of bindings, but only after expending wasted energy on doing so. Those Shinigami bastards deserved a taste of their own medicine. Ironically, he thought, that included Rukia.

Above all though, he would have her back by his side. Just like always. He had sorely missed the feeling of knowing that she was never far away, be it having his back in a fight or stalking him to the cemetery. Just the very idea of it gave him a heady rush.

Ichigo looked back at her, ready to comply, when he caught sight of her expression. The time he had spent considering her proposition must have unnerved her, considering how desperate she had been from the get-go. Rukia's teeth were now wearing down on her bottom lip, her dress was crumpled beyond help, and her toes were curled up in anxiety.

Grinning inwardly, Ichigo affected a regretful look. Holding her gaze, he started, "I don't know... I'm already busy with school and Vaizard training. I'm not sure if I can fit you in..." Rukia jumped in even before he could finish. "It'll only be a few days! I'll be out of your hair even before you know it! Please, Ichigo!"

Ichigo's chest quivered with restrained laughter as he continued. "Shinji's really strict with my training, he might go ballistic if I skip it."

Like hell he would. Shinji had all but kicked him out of the training room on his rear to make him leave. But Ichigo was certainly not saying _that _out loud.

Rukia let out a pained moan, and her tone turned pleading.

"Come on, Ichigo. We're friends right? Friends _help _each other. You do me this favor once," Rukia placed a hand on his shoulder, "and I'll definitely return yo... Why are you shaking...?"

Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

He let out an amused chuckle as Rukia swiped at his arm, screaming "Ichigooo!"

* * *

><p>The moment Ichigo walked into the classroom, Keigo was up to his usual noisy self.<p>

"Morning, Ichigo! How are you this fine day?" He declared with a Shakespearean accent, swinging his arms out dramatically. Mizuiro was standing beside him, greeting him with a curt smile, as he was wont to do. Ichigo merely grunted his response, plopped down onto his seat heavily, and rested his head on the table, exhausted.

That damned Rukia, he should have known she wasn't going to let him off so easily with merely ramen soup staining his jeans. By the time he had exited the bathroom from a clean-up, she had already tucked herself comfortably into his bed and was snoozing away. Pulling and tugging had been futile, and in the end, Ichigo had taken the sofa, with its old springs and ramen-smelling cushions, drained and annoyed.

"Kurosaki-kun, is your neck all right? You've been rubbing it since you came in." Ichigo looked up to see a worried Inoue looking down at him. "I'm fine, just had a little bed problem."

At that moment, a shadow fell over his table.

"Ara, Kurosaki-kun! Did you fall off the bed _again_?"

Ichigo jolted. He knew that voice. The voice that had been haunting him all night with the promise of a lousy-assed makeshift bed. That pitchy, disgusting tone that she always affected when speaking to him in class, how memorable it was.

He refused to acknowledge her presence.

"Kuchiki-san, you're back!" Chizuru dashed forward and looped her arms around the tiny girl, nuzzling her cheeks affectionately. "We missed you!" Keigo, Inoue, Tatsuki and Rukia's other gal-pals immediately thronged forward, bombarding her with questions and greetings.

Rukia merely smiled sheepishly. "Ara, Chizuru-san, could you please stop that? My family suddenly moved abroad last year so I had to leave. I won't be staying long this time either, I'll have to go again in 6 days."

That caught his attention. Between all the laughing, shrieking and dibs-on-the-bed-fight, he had forgotten to ask her about that. Ichigo sighed. 6 days... That didn't give them much time to be together.

He frowned. That sounded wrong. What was the matter with him? First he thought her scrunched up face was adorable, now he was thinking of them "being together" as though they were an actual pair. Lessons! That's all it was about.

Pushing up from his seat, he muttered "Toilet" to Mizuiro and disappeared out the door, but not before he whispered to Rukia for her to meet him on the roof in 5.

* * *

><p>I... am now wondering how to explain Rukia's presence in school for only 6 days... Is their school that lenient? Woah. Crap.<p>

R&r, pls! Thanx.

Faie.


	5. The Plan

**New Edit**

**5: The Plan**

The strong wind tugged at the ends of his shirt as he stared out at the streets of the town panned out before him. Ichigo slumped down against the low concrete wall, his head lain back on the green cage that bordered the roof 10m up.

What would he say when she came? 6 days is impossible, I'm no miracle teacher, so go back home? No matter how strong she was, that would probably devastate her. Her being devastated made him feel... not so great as well.

His conscience was getting bloody annoyinng.

How about... 6 days is all we have, we should skip school and start your training now. That was tempting, but the fact that the whole class now knew that Rukia was back in town made it impossible. If only she hadn't shown up today, pulling a disappearing act by himself wouldn't be that much of a problem. But now that they knew, the school would probably be rife with rumors when he returned.

Damn it! Why was it so hard? He planned his own training sessions so often, was it that difficult to do someone else's?

Ichigo's mind wandered over to the possibilities of taking out everyone who knew she was back, which was pretty much the whole class except for Ishida. He was probably emo-ing by himself someplace again with only his knitting needles for company, fixing up some new fancy dress for Kon. (A/n: Muahahahaha!)

Taking them out would be easy, he'd dispatched bullying brothers and crazed captains with ease. A bunch of high school students with mostly jello for brains wouldn't even break him a sweat.

The idea did have merit, considering that _some _people deserved it for annoying him, i.e. Keigo and Chizuru, the latter having just made his list that morning. Unfortunately for him, he would then be coming back to a classroom devoid of anyone save the teacher. Talk about awkward.

A slamming noise rung out and Ichigo looked up to see the small form of a girl walking briskly towards him. He glared at the root of his problems and demanded why she was so late.

"That's what I get for being nice?" Rukia shot back, as she handed him a packet of cold peach tea. Ichigo eyed the drink warily. "This isn't you trying to be nice by giving me stuff bought using cash you stole from my allowance, right?"

Rukia gave him a bland stare, and plopped down next to him. "The other girls wouldn't leave me be until they had wrangled out information about what I've been up too. Lying was troublesome, so I just told them the truth. The drinks came with the deal."

"The truth. Yeah right," he snorted.

"I did. There's no lie in saying that I took stupid etiquette lessons, studied the bible of proper behaviour, fended off annoying suitors, and fought with my idiotic best friend, all to please my overbearing older brother. So do you want this or not?"

She deliberately raised the extra drink packet up high and dropped it, sulking when he caught it deftly with a hand.

Oh yeah, she had a tyrant for a brother. And a busy year. Classes, studying and fending off... What?

Ichigo couldn't hide the surprise in his voice, "Suitors?"

Rukia put her own empty pack down and slithered her body downwards to lie on the ground, as she watched the clouds drift by aimlessly above her.

"Yeah. Nii-sama intends to formally introduce me to the other 3 noble clans come year end. Matsumoto and the others have been going _crazy _trying to get me to look at pictures of guys from other houses... I'm still young, Nii-sama! Let me have my own fun!" Rukia flung her arms out above her in frustration.

Ichigo was stunned. Was there no end to the surprises that he was getting from her? The first one was great in its own way, the other two only reeked. And the other thing that she had mentioned didn't sit so well with him either. He had to ask.

"Rukia..."

"Have you thought about how we would be going about this? We only have 10 minutes more before first period." She interrupted, looking up at him with a gaze full of anticipation.

"O yeah," Ichigo turned to face the sky instead, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed under her direct, wide-eyed gaze. "Since you're attending lessons here, I figured we should make full use of lunch breaks and study periods to get you talking to your Zanpakutou first.

"Oh." An awkward expression crossed her face. "I've never actually talked to it before. During battles it's always only a lingering feeling, that there is something else with me, and at times, a fading woman's voice. I can't really..." Her voice trailed off.

Crap. Sore spot. "Well, at least you can hear him. That's already one step forward!"

Rukia kicked him angrily. "That's not nearly enough for me! You met yours in _days_! And you didn't even have to undergo the years of training we took at the Academy! Lessons we took to teach us how to master our Zanpakutou!"

Ichigo shot her a dirty look. "And _you_ didn't have Sandal-hat throwing you into a pit a mile deep with a 72 hour deadline on your sanity and _life_! Do you know how close I came to becoming a hollow, Rukia?"

Taking in a deep breath, Ichigo forced out a calm tone. "We have 6 days. But if you'd rather whine than work, I wouldn't mind giving you the same treatment he gave me."

"He... Did that to you?" Rukia was taken aback; she had always assumed that it had come to him easily. After all, nothing had been ordinary about Ichigo's Shinigami powers from the very start.

She looked up at his face, which was turned away from her, still locked in a grimace. Ichigo...

Rukia shifted into a seating position and reached out.

Ichigo turned around when she tugged the sleeve of his shirt gingerly. Her expression was gentle, the softest smile he had ever seen on her before curved her lips. In a meek voice so unlike Rukia, he heard her utter a "Sorry".

The immediate effect on him was unlike anything he had ever experienced from her. Annoyance, anger, frustration, sadness and gratitude were the usual. This one felt more like... A rush of shock, joy, self-pity, sadness and embarrassment all jumbled up together. And above all, an inexplicable urge to reach out and wipe the sadness from her smile.

He...

"Kurosaki-kun."

Ichigo's head snapped up and he saw Inoue standing there, mild curiosity in her gaze. "Yeah. Inoue, what's up?"

"Class's starting in a min, and Kuchiki-San mentioned that she was coming to meet you up here."

"Ah. Thanks."

Picking himself up, Ichigo turned around for Rukia when he realized that she had already started off without him, following closely behind Inoue.

That midget. Why was she so impatient? He hadn't even given her a reply. Rushing forward, Ichigo grabbed her small wrist just before she disappeared down the stairs.

"I'm not mad at you. So... let's do this. Today after school at mine?"

Rukia remained silent for a second, before she turned around and gave him a shockingly brilliant smile, her teeth flashing pearly white in the shadow of the entranceway. "Yes!"

And just like that, she turned and skipped her way down into the shadows, humming a merry tune as she left, while he was left standing, no, _frozen_ there as he listen to the crazed rhythm of his heart racing.

* * *

><p>Ahhh. Forgot to mention something. I intend for the gradual build-up of a rapport between Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki, so this fic occurs in some alt. universe in which the Shinigami v Zanpakutou thing never occurred.<p>

Seriously just one thing after another...sorry.

Faie.


	6. An: Note

A/n: This is not a chapter, just a little clarification note.

Firstly, thanx for all your support so far.

Okay, for one, I reviewed through the previous chap and yeah, on hindsight, the use of "blatantly" did seem like a huge UGH.

Thusly, I'll be editing the chapter and re-uploading it, most probably tonight.

Secondly, the reason I chose to change off Sode no Shirayuki's gender was because, this is first and foremost, a romance fanfic. And romance needs spices like arguments and jealousy.

Since it's that much of a put-off, (& I can fully understand why. I'd probably kill any author who homosexualized Athrun) I'll be re-introducing the gender as female in the new 5.

Already have my new targets for IchiRuki jealousy anyway.

And finally,

Eto117-san. Yeah, I know that he lost his powers. So I'll have to stretch the truth a little here, cause I don't intend to bring Fullbring into this fic. I have absolutely no idea what that arc is about; neither do I have the time to get to know it inside and out. Simply reading facts on Wiki ain't the same as watching/reading the entire storyline, taking it in slowly but grasping it fully.

And

.lullabye-san. No, I have no intention to drop this fic. At all. I'm enjoying the writing very much too. In a way, I'm just like you. Waiting in eager anticipation to learn how the story goes.

To add R&r here is just plain weird. But, yeah. Haha.

Faie.


	7. Rukias sama and a Fruit Loop

6: Rukia-sama (and a Fruit Loop)

The scorching afternoon sun seared her skin. The thin layer of cloth she donned offered no protection, but rather served to add to her growing misery. The air was humid, and without a wisp of the slightest breeze. Somewhere to her left, a chime of bells rang out, followed by the screeching sounds of metal legs being shoved back and the pattering of countless feet on the move.

Restless, she shifted about in her position.

Kneeling for hours was nothing to her since she spent almost half her time in the Academy in that position. But the Academy was well-ventilated with cool air being perpetually diverted into lecture halls and classrooms. Conducive for a learning environment with its smooth, polished planked floors and peaceful Zen gardens.

The school roof, on the other hand, was a barren land of heated concrete and the occasional shriek of excited teenagers on their lunch break in the courts below.

A crinkling sound, followed by the sudden aroma of teriyaki, caught her attention. Sneaking a peek behind her, Rukia's eyes widened at the sight of her teacher splitting apart a pair of wooden chopsticks, a wide grin on his face, as he dug into his bento box. Her stomach aching in righteous fury, and let's be honest, hunger, she heard herself speak through clenched teeth.

"What are you doing, eating lunch by yourself over there?"

He didn't look up. "Are you done?"

"Of course not." He gave her a flat-out 'Then why do you have time to talk?' look.

"Does... Something here seem unfair? You ask me to sit here, to _meditate_, while you stuff your face?"

Giving an exasperated sigh, Ichigo put down his lunch. "You agreed to do this."

"Yeah, but I expected some support from my teacher. So far all you've said is 'Sit there'."

"Only because _you _mentioned that being able to calm one's mind and connect with the Zanpakutou is key."

"But this place..."

"Is perfect. It's really hot out, and lunch breaks are always as noisy as hell. Very tension-stimulating. Perfect for training since it simulates a stressful situation. Yesterday was too easy for you, so I'm upping the stakes. Now." He pointed his chopsticks at her. "Start over."

Rukia sighed as she turned her body back around. It was annoying, but he was right. Yesterday's task was rudimentary. She did require something more challenging if she wanted to reach her goal quickly.

The night before last, after she had settled down to her second dinner of cup ramen, he had suddenly prompted her about typical Bankai training in the Society. What little she knew had been gleaned from Renji and the other fukutaichous... Connecting spiritually with the sword, intense training to hone one's Reiatsu to the point of obsession etc etc.

And then when he had declared with heavy satisfaction that she was to start off with self-meditation, he wasn't wrong, but the "self" part had been a bit too emphasized upon.

She was so glad that he wasn't charging by the hour.

The first lesson was smooth. Adults were locked away in offices and teenagers were out gallivanting the malls, so the streets were calm and quiet with only the occasional chirps of passing pigeons. It had been a cinch to calm herself down enough to feel the presence of the inner spirit of her sword, to catch a silhouette of a maiden of white.

Forcing all stray thoughts of heat and food and irresponsible teachers from her mind, Rukia inhaled deeply and concentrated on feeling the air flow from her nostrils, down her windpipe and disperse into her lungs.

It was a basic step in meditation. To feel the air, the life's energy, flow through her body; to be one with her surroundings, to be everything, yet nothing at all. She felt all the tension seep out of her muscles, her body was languid, yet strong and firm. The feeling was... Unreal.

"...sama."

Rukia's eyes flew open. That was...

"Rukia-sama. I am here. Ushiro."

There was a light tap on her shoulder and a wisp of cold breezed past her cheek from behind her. Rukia spun her head around, her violet eyes widening at the sight of a beautiful woman with skin of porcelain, hair of the palest lavender, and eyes are of the iciest blue. Her smile was gentle, and Rukia felt a surge of familiarity about this woman overwhelm her.

"You..."

"I heard you calling."

Rukia's heart lurched in joy and bewildered excitement. "Sode no Shira..."

"Oi, Rukia. Lunch break's almost over. We'll have to get back to class now."

And just like that, her concentration broke and the snow-woman vanished, leaving only a lingering chill where she once stood.

Rukia turned back to see Ichigo standing in front of her, giving her a weird look. "What are you staring at anyway? I thought you were looking at me, but when I came over, you were still..." One second he still had Rukia in his sights and in the next, she had given a little shriek and a sudden uppercut to his chin, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Baka!"

"What the...! Rukia, what the hell are you doing?"

"You made me lose my concentration! She... She was right behind me!"

"...Hey. I do have the balls to prove otherwise."

Rukia shot him a dirty look. "Not you, fool. Sode no Shirayuki. I had her out, and you made me lose my concentration. Some great teacher _you _are."

His expression cleared up immediately. "Oh." A grin broke out. "Was she hot?"

Glaring at him now, Rukia muttered more insults under her breath as she got up and stalked towards the doorway. Ichigo trailed behind, doubling over with laughter, following her back to class.

He never made it all the way back.

* * *

><p>Now back at her seat, Rukia saw Inoue make her way over, her expression wondering. "Ano, Rukia-san. Wasn't Kurosaki-kun with you?"<p>

Rukia hid her sadistic smirk behind a cough and gave her a huge smile.

"Ara, Inoue-san! I haven't been with him for the last 5 minutes. Demo, kiite! There was an orange haired corpse in the sickbay just now. I believe he had some sort of accident coming down the stairs. Can you believe how clumsy Kurosaki-kun can be?" More coughing.

"Ah. I hope he's ok."

Cough. "Probably just a broken leg." Or two, if he continued to be an idiot.

Worry flashed across Inoue's face. "I hope he'll be ok in 3 months."

Hmmm...? Curious, Rukia asked as casually as possible. "What's in 3 months?"

Inoue paused for a second, then, "Oh right. 6 days. The wint..."

Ochi-sensei appeared at the doorway. "Class, settle down. Math starts now and...where's Kurosaki?"

"I'm... here, sensei." A voice spoke in a half-groan.

Everyone turned to see Ichigo limping his way over to his seat, his uniform dusty and grey, his scowl more pronounced than ever. "Don't mind me. Just a little staircase mishap. No worries."

Ishida gave a sarcastic reply. "No one even asked, Kurosaki. I'm not interested in listening to your problems." Ichigo's glared at him, as he took his seat and proceeded to shoot daggers at a smirking Rukia, while Inoue and Keigo regarded them curiously.

Into the lesson, when she knew he wasn't looking, Rukia sneaked a peek at the angry teen sitting across her. He did look pretty beat up, perhaps kicking him down a whole flight of stairs was going a bit overboard. But then again, he hadn't bled, so this was considered a minor injury to him.

She stared some more, this time wondering why her previous zen sessions had never let her reach that stage of spiritual materialization before. Was it due to the close proximity to his overflowing reservoir of Reiatsu that had caused changes in her own spiritual energy? After all, that was what happened to Inoue and Chad. She couldn't help but admit that this man was truly fascinating. Years of studying in the Academy could not have prepared her for the enigma that was Kurosaki Ichigo.

She followed the profile of his face with her eyes, noting how the light beaming in from the windows threw the lines into stark illumination. He really had quite a handsome profile. Half slumped in his seat, his long legs stretched out to either sides of the desk, he reminded Rukia of a lazing lion she had seen on the animal planet. Idle, but strong and lean. Certainly not model material but well-sculpted enough to catch the attention of, 1...2...3 girls, including the Goddess of the male population, Orihime Inoue.

And she was quickly learning that even she had a little difficulty in turning her own eyes away.

At that moment, she felt as though she could relate, even the slightest bit, to the fantasies that she had overheard earlier that day, about how Ichigo was some handsome, rebellious playboy from a sappy Shoujo, who hid a wealth of tender emotions under a steeled exterior.

That sudden revelation took her by surprise. Where had that come from? To her, Ichigo was, and had always been, as desirable as a fruit loop. Fruit...what was that green spiky ball again? Oh yes. He was just about as desirable as a durian fruit loop. The very idea made her choke back a laugh.

Thwack!

Rukia yelped when she felt a sharp kick right against her shin and glared at her neighbour. Ichigo leaned over and demanded, annoyed. "Why are you laughing at me?"

She smirked and leaned right back. "Nothing. Just thinking about oranges and durians. Have I ever mentioned how much I love your hair?" She ruffled the unruly strands. He put two and two together a little too late, and she laughed sadistically when he swiped at her but hit his hand on the desk instead.

Ichigo threw a pen at her, but she avoided it easily, a playful grin on her face.

Well, at least she was no longer screaming at him.

Rukia paused when she caught sight of his odd expression, and that's when she realized that a heavy hush had fallen over the classroom.

Ochi-sensei was standing akimbo at her desk.

"Kurosaki, Kuchiki. Detention, today."

* * *

><p>Aww. It's really cute seeing their names side by side like that. Kinda makes you feel they were really made for one another.<p>

Faie.


	8. Meeting the Sword

**7: Meeting the Sword**

* * *

><p><strong><strong>"You do realize that this is all your fault."

"Excuse me? You were the one who threw the pen at me. Ochi-sensei can't stand childish behaviour, remember?"

"Yeah, and kicking someone down the stairs just cause of a little joke ain't childish."

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her."

"It's hurting me!"

Ichigo grumbled, flexing his sore arms and wincing when a fresh jolt of pain sizzled through him. Rukia stuck her tongue out at him and turned back around to face the board where Ochi-sensei had left a detention assignment scribbled in clear blue ink. Sighing, she studiously copied question after question on a fresh sheet of paper, determined to ignore his affected groans... and the increasing urges of her conscience to apologize.

She solved the first ten questions easily and came to the first trigonometric question... Rukia brought the paper closer to her face, her face pinched in shocked disbelief. The heck was this?

She scribbled, frowned and scratched the words out, and scribbled out a fresh trail of numbers, only to strike that out too. Rukia pressed her forefingers against her temple, willing herself to remember what. The. Heck. The words were trying to tell her.

Her brain remained painfully empty. She wondered if she could get a concession for not having attended lessons for the past year and a half. Groaning and slumping down onto the table, she felt her spirit sink even further as she watched her detention pal breeze through the list of sums without even batting an eyelid. Damn him and his smart brain.

Ichigo signed off his name at the top of the sheet and leaned back, sighing in satisfaction. Repeated truancy or not, he was still capable of solving elementary questions. Even without looking, he was aware that he had the full attention of Rukia sitting beside him, her pen clicking out an impatient beat on the thin plastic of the table. Grinning smugly, he turned around to face her.

"So. Midget. You done? I'm hungry." The question was moot, he could clearly see the chicken scratches across the paper. Rukia growled at him, and then her expression turned... crap. He knew that look. She used it whenever she wanted some thing bunny. Shifting her chair nearer to him, Rukia sidled up to him and hooked an arm over his shoulder.

"Ne, Ichigo. My best, _best _friend." She coaxed with a saccharine smile.

"No."

"Come on! I'm sorry I made fun of your hair. I really do love it! See, I'm ruffling it now!"

"Rukia, cut it out. Forget it. You're already mooching off my bed, my noodles and my help. Do your own homework."

"But..."

"I'm giving you 5. Then we're leaving to Urahara's. I want to pick up something."

* * *

><p>Rukia was sulky all the way to the shop, and she ignored his offers for fresh enchiladas. Rather, she held her nose high and strutted forward as if she owned the world and others were beneath her. Ichigo wanted to smack her noblesse brother stupid for ruining her.<p>

Ururu looked a little surprised to see Rukia there but did not comment on it. Jinta, on the other hand, kept giving her suspicious looks which culminated in a "Did your brother finally banish you?" that earned him a double whammy. He was quickly trotted off by an ever-intimidating Tessai-san by his collar like a misbehaving kitten before he could swing his broom at Ichigo. Ururu politely invited them in for tea, where Tessai-san joined them shortly after.

"So. Kuchiki-San. I won't probe as to why you're here in Karakura, but the tenchou isn't in right now."

Rukia's breath caught, as she fiddled nervously with the ends of her school skirt. Seeing her discomfort, Ichigo leaped in.

"That's fine, Tessai-san. About the Zanpakutou spirit doll that Sandal-Hat used for Bankai training? Is..."

Her eyes peeked up from beneath her long bangs at 'bankai'. "Doll...what doll?" Annoying poke. Poke.

He swiped her hand away like he would a fly. "Is the doll still here?"

A knowing glance passed across Tessai-san's face as his focus switched from Ichigo to Rukia, and a whisper of a smile, (or was that a deepening of his frown?), flickered across his face.

"This way."

He led them down a dimly lit hallway, their socked feet pattering softly down the creaky planks. The last room was small, barely able to fit a giant like Tessai after both Ichigo and Rukia had wandered in. As his bulky muscular form edged along a wall bedecked with a disarray of forgotten merchandise, Rukia felt herself being squished up against an old pile of musty boxes. She tried inching towards her left, to make a quick escape before her path was permanently sealed up, when his arm accidentally knocked over a box from a high shelf directly above her and out tumbled a mess of smelly, moth-ridden clothes.

Rukia gave a gasp of surprise when she felt her arm being yanked on roughly, and the momentum took her reeling towards her right. Just as she felt as though she was going to trip herself into a tangled mess, she was pressed up against a hard, warm wall, and she felt herself steady immediately. There was a strong arm around her waist, and calm breathing from above her ear. It was surprising how she could remain calm in the heat of battle, and yet her insides would knot up at the feel of being held so close to another.

Ichigo had taken terse steps back towards the wall, giving Tessai-san as much walking space as possible. As he moved, he had reached out, gripped her arm and given it a quick tug.

Ichigo had seen her eyes widen as she saw the falling clothing; he had heard her gasp as she felt herself fall sideways; he had heard the sudden catch in her breath and felt the slightly quickened pace of the rise and fall of her chest when he had wrapped his arm firmly around her waist.

Ichigo stood there in silence, taking in the feel of her small, warm form pressed up against his own. A whiff of clean, fresh passion fruit seeped into his nostrils amidst the dank odour of dust and vapour, a breath of fresh air, a paradox of the room. As he leaned in to get a closer sniff, Rukia shifted in his grasp, as if protesting the proximity, and she whispered his name ever so softly.

She was safe now, the clothes had splattered themselves all over the floor. There was no reason to hold her aside anymore. Ichigo looked down at the small form, noting how the dark strands of her long hair had curled itself around his arm. He traced the length with his eyes; from its ends to the curvature around her head and up the crown, where they forked from the lock that fell between her eyes. Violet eyes that were now watching him curiously.

Ichigo didn't want to let go, but he reluctantly loosened his grip when Tessai-san finally pulled out a life-sized board of a humanoid figure and signalled for them to move on. Rukia muttered a quick thanks, and darted out the room, a flurry of beige and black. Ichigo followed behind them slowly, a feeling of loss weighing down his feet.

Following Tessai-san down a hallway Ichigo knew even with his eyes closed, they descended a perilous, rickety ladder into an arena of blue and brown. As Rukia took in the endless expanse of land around her, half in awe, half in annoyance over how dreary the land was, Tessai-san suddenly turned towards her, a scary glint in his eye and gave her a huge Thumbs-Up! He then whacked Ichigo a hearty one on his back before disappearing to fetch them some snacks.

Rukia glanced at Ichigo curiously. "He knows?"  
>Ichigo, still glaring at the ascending form above them, scowled. "Yep. The gig was up the moment I asked for the doll... Oh yeah."<p>

He picked up the large white board lying on the ground and stood it up, facing Rukia with a grin.

"This. This is going to solve all your problems."

Rukia looked at him as if he'd lost his mind.

"Here. I'll show you." Ichigo morphed and unsheathed his Zanpakutou. Making sure he had her full attention, he thrust the sword into the board.

Rukia brought a hand over her eyes against the sudden coruscation, and peered through fingers ajar, when she noticed a change. Was that black smoke wisping about Ichigo? No...it was too condensed for smoke. That was... Cloth.

Rukia gasped as a tall, lean figure materialized beside Ichigo, his dark coloration a direct contrast against Ichigo's bright orange hair and white uniform. A middle-aged man, long scraggly hair and tinted shades, a visage of sobriety, donning a flowing overcoat of sorts with tattered ends. Rukia couldn't help but stare.

Ichigo walked over and placed his palm on her head.

"Midget, meet Zangetsu. Zangetsu, meet the Midget."

Ichigo couldn't help but grin when she responded with a dropped jaw to the spirit's reserved greeting.

Rukia forced herself to get it together. Turning towards Ichigo, but not before whacking his hand away, she asked with disbelief.

"That doll... Allows for the materialization of the sword's spirit?"

"Yep."

Rukia seemed to ponder this revelation for a while. "Cool!"

She scurried forward, and studied Zangetsu as if he was an exhibit. She poked at his arm?, felt the surprisingly silky material of his suit between her fingers and basically darted around, and around him again. Ichigo smirked at the look of composed toleration Zangetsu had on his face, before he finally dragged Rukia back, ignoring her struggles.

He could swear the old dude actually smiled at him.

Turning towards Rukia, Ichigo smiled and said. "Tomorrow, it'll be your turn."

* * *

><p>Argh! This took really long, didn't it? Been so busy with stupid A level results and moping over an inability to fly to UK for university. Sucks! And then moping some more, because I've lost my best friend to UK and I can't, can't go over too.<p>

I don't think I've ever been this depressed before. Does it show?

Faie.


	9. Despite How Much I Dislike You

Gosh...how long has it been since i updated? Can't get my mind to work anymore so I shan't blab anymore. Here's the next chapter to TTA.

* * *

><p>8: Despite How Much I Dislike You<p>

"Uooooh! Hmmmrooooahhh! Woahohohaha!"

"What the -?! Rukia! What the hell are you doing?!" Ichigo dashed into his sister's bedroom, now occupied by the one girl he was starting to regret taking in. Rukia's head snapped around in surprise at the sudden intruder, with a look in her eyes that could only be described as irritated. Ichigo's own eyes widened at the sight of her sitting prostrate in front of a stack of red ceremonial bowls, the setup replete with candles and shit. Sitting on her head was probably the most embarrassing thing he had ever seen, a headdress with multi-coloured feathers and ribbons sticking out in the oddest arrangement.

"What the fu-! Are you a Satan worshipper now?!"

Wham!

Ichigo stumbled backwards onto his ass as a bowl of grapes and oranges smashed into his face, the fruits splattering against his white school uniform top and staining it a mix of dark reddish purple and orange. Damn this midget and her superhuman arm strength… He winced. How the hell did a bowl of fruits hurt more than getting flung across the battle field by Espadas?

Rukia stood up with her arms akimbo, an expression of indignant fury etched into her once delicate features. "Don't be stupid, you fool! I'm merely praying to the spirits of Wisdom and Intelligence! And, shut up! It is customary for prayers to be held in a quiet and peaceful environment. If your little rant scared them off or offended them, I shall personally hold you responsible if I get punished worse than I already have been by Ochi-sensei!"

Ichigo flung the bowl of squished grapes aside, making a mental note to order her to clear up the mess once she was done with her ridiculous charade. "…Ochi-sensei? Rukia, you... Don't tell me you're praying to the Gods to help you with your detention homework?" When Rukia did not answer but merely continued to glare at him, Ichigo burst out laughing, his gut clenching in amusement. "God, Rukia! That's probably the stupidest thing I've ever seen anyone do! Ahahahaha! I can't believe you. You ninny, yo-!"

Wham! "Get out!"

"Ahaha- fine. Fine. I'm gone. Go on praying to your Gods of Desperation you." Waving an arm at her, Ichigo turned to leave before he started laughing again.

A small voice echoed behind him. "If I really did convert to Satan worshipping, you and your stupid hide would be the first thing I offer, numbskull."

"What was that?!"

"Nothing…GET! OUT!" Rukia strode angrily towards him and pushed him out of the door, slamming it a mere fraction of a second after he had passed through. If he wasn't so pissed at her, he would have marveled at the ridiculous strength her tiny sticks of limbs possessed. Grinning to himself, and the entertainment this midget of girl never failed to bring him, Ichigo went to get a late night snack of chips before plopping himself down in front of the latest episode of "Fairy Tail" playing on T.v. He had waited all week to watch Dragneel kick the asses of the Phantom freaks. (A/n: Yes, I'm a FT fan too. 3)

* * *

><p>"H-huh? When did I fall asleep?" Ichigo shot up from his spot on the sofa, his bowl of leftover sour cream chips tumbling off his chest and onto the carpet. "Shit. Gotta clean that up." Yawning, Ichigo flicked off the television and glanced at the clock. 1am. Looking down at himself, Ichigo grimaced at the large patch of juice still marring his shirt. Tugging the soiled piece of clothing over his head, he flung it into the washing machine and went for a bath.<p>

As warm water sluiced down his tan skin, Ichigo ran his fingers through his wet hair, instantly disgusted when he pulled out a piece of dried grape skin. Damn that girl. He grabbed an old exfoliating scrub from the shower cabinet and tried desperately to remove the nauseatingly sweet scent of grapes and oranges that now clung to his skin. Good lord, even his underarm areas smelled sweet. People would probably think he was gay or something, smelling as fruity as he did. Stepping out of the shower, Ichigo slid on a fresh pair of jeans and stormed towards his sister's bedroom, ready to give Rukia a piece of his mind.

Slamming open the door, Ichigo's eyes widened at the sight of the tiny girl slumped over the bed, snoring lightly. The candles had long since gone out, and there were fruit peels lying neatly in a red plastic bowl. Ichigo could just laugh, she had actually eaten the offerings meant for her Gods when she had gotten hungry. So much for not offending them. Sighing, he slid his arms around her small back and under her knees and lifted her up. As much as he disliked her sometimes, there was no way he had the heart to leave her lying out somewhere. What if she caught a cold? As he lifted her up, he heard the clatter of plastic on the wooden floor. Glancing over her head, he stared in surprise at a bowl holding a pile of squished oranges and grapes that frankly, looked really rather disgusting.

Laughing softly, he stood up. He really had to hand it to her. Despite how furious she obviously was at him just now, she had still bothered to clean up the mess she had made without him telling her. Carrying her over to his bedroom, Ichigo pondered if he was going to dump her into her makeshift closet bed or onto his bed. As much as he loved to not share his bed, he felt reluctant to sequester her away into the tiny niche that was her room. Glancing down at her face, Ichigo sighed at the tiredness that was obvious in her eyebags and downturn of her lips. The bed it was then. Damn his conscious.

Leaning slowly over, he tried to lay Rukia gently on the soft mattress when he felt Rukia turn her head towards his chest, her lips rounding out to form a tiny smile. Her slender fingers curled lightly around his shoulder as she snuggled deeper into his hold. There was an instant dryness in his mouth as his heart stuttered in his chest. All too suddenly, Ichigo was vividly aware of how her legs looked wonderfully smooth against the roughness of his own arm, and how their slender length stood out against the toned muscles in his arms. A thought flashed through his mind. "God, she has beautiful legs."

Gazing down at her sleeping face, Ichigo felt his face heat up lightly as he watched her eyelids flutter lightly open, and her mouth open in the shape of an 'O'.

"Ichigo? Mmm... Is it bedtime already?" Rukia yawned. Ichigo was painfully aware of how her mouth widened to reveal a perfect set of teeth and lovely pink lips that were too plump for her small face. "Kissable lips…,"he thought. When Rukia had once again closed her eyes to sleep, Ichigo forced himself to get a grip. Gently laying her petite frame on the mattress, he stumbled quickly out of the room.

He needed a cold shower, and he needed it immediately.

* * *

><p>Bright sunlight lit up Rukia's face as she yawned and stretched her limbs. Blinking against the glaring light, she got up and was instantly surprised to find herself in Ichigo's room. When had she gotten here? The last thing Rukia remembered doing was reaching under Yuzu's bed to grab at the runaway orange peels…and then…Nothing. She must have dozed off while cleaning up. Leaping off the bed, she left to find Ichigo. Where was he anyway, if she had occupied his bed all night?<p>

Turning into the kitchen, she was surprised that he was not there, considering that the prickly-haired male was often up earlier than she and already having breakfast by the time she deemed it suitable to wake up.

"Ichigo? Hello? You there?" She rapped sharply against the bathroom door, half expecting to hear the sharp snap of the male whenever she disturbed him during his morning "ritual". When there was no reply, she turned the door knob nervously and opened the door slightly. What if he couldn't hear her because he was showering? Rukia felt her face heat up at the notion of seeing Ichigo shower. She already knew that he was ridiculously well built, and based on what she had heard her classmates gossip about, there was nothing sexier than watching a sexy man shower. Not that she found Ichigo sexy but…. She peeked in.

Nothing. The room was empty.

Damn. No, wait. No damn. Rukia mentally slapped herself.

She eventually spotted the male slumped over the study desk in Yuzu's room. Stunned, she stepped into the room to find that her ceremonial bowls had been tidied away and washed and the floor was mopped clean. Ichigo… Rukia leaned over the sleeping man's shoulder, and her eyes widened further at the sight of the sheets of papers tucked under Ichigo's arm. That was her detention homework! Her _completed _detention homework. He had even tried his best to imitate her elaborate cursive handwriting, despite the fact that his own penmanship was nothing better than elaborate chicken scrawls.

"Ichigo, you…"

Before she knew it, Rukia found herself leaning over his face, her lips pressed against his cheek, one hand placed lightly on his back. To her absolute horror, Ichigo's body immediately reacted to her touch. He turned his torso around, his arms finding their way around her small waist and tugging her downwards him.

"Oof!" Rukia turned a shade of red as she found herself now half sprawled across his lap, one side of her face pressed tight against his bare, muscular chest. He felt so comfortably warm… Rukia tried getting a grip on the chair's leg to push herself upwards, but her fingers grasped air. She swung them again and gasped when her fingers touched Ichigo's. An odd sensation shot up her arm and settled itself in her belly. Rukia could hear her heart racing in her chest in the silence of the room. She gasped when she felt his warm breath tickle the skin of her neck. She froze, what was this idiot trying to do?! She turned her face upwards, her eyes widening at the sight of his face at such a close proximity to hers. The sensation she immediately felt was far from similar to those she always felt when Ichigo had held her tight whenever he came to her rescue. That was relief. This was… something different.

Ichigo's eyes were still closed in sleep, Rukia could feel the distinct rise and fall of his chest as he breathed against her cheek. Gazing at his sleeping face, she felt herself gradually relax. Despite how embarrassed she felt in this position, she had to admit it was really rather comfortable. As much as she disliked him sometimes, she couldn't remember ever feeling safer then whenever she was in his arms.

She blushed when she felt Ichigo's chest rumble slightly.

"Rukia...you stupid bunny girl…"

Wha..!

Rukia pushed herself off his chest and slapped him, storming out of the room in a fit. And to think he actually made her feel comfortable and safe!

Ichigo eyes snapped open at the sudden pain ringing out in his cheek. What the hell?! One moment he was dreaming about Rukia bugging him to buy her the latest edition Chappy print bean bag, and the next his cheek hurt like hell. And why did his arms suddenly feel empty?

He glanced at the clock absent-mindedly. Shit! It was already 10:35am. He was supposed to be in school an hour ago. He dashed into his bedroom to change only to find the midget already changed and slinging her bag onto her shoulder. Was it just him or did Rukia turn a little red when she looked at him?

Rukia stared at him for a moment before leaning forward and pecked him on the cheek. "Thank you." She then disappeared through the open window of his bedroom, leaving Ichigo stunned into silence, his hand coming up to touch his cheek, still warm from her lips. A solitary word hovered at the back of his mind.

Rukia…

And then… "Fuck! I'm late!"

* * *

><p>Hmmmm.. I feel like praying to the Gods of Wisdom and Intelligence or whatnot myself for inspiration for my stories. What would you guys like to read about?<p>

Review please! I know I probably don't deserve it after disappearing out the window too for so long without updating. .

Faie.


	10. Pairing Off

Italics + "…" = inner voice…

Faie.

* * *

><p>9: Pairing Off<p>

"Why the hell is there school on a Saturday?!"

"Rukia, quit your whining and hurry up or else I'll leave you behind." Ichigo grumbled, as he willed himself not to hit her.

"This had better be important," She retorted. "I'm missing Chappy's Special Adventure the movie!"

"Oh, shut up about the stupid show already…"

"Wha-! A-hou! If Chappy kami – sama could hear you, he'd…"

"Fluff me to the death?" He replied snarkily, inciting another bout of enraged whacks and insults from her.

This day had started off bad enough without her whaling on him too. He hadn't had enough sleep due to someone bugging him all evening and night about how to properly stab the tenshintai, or as Rukia had now called it, Mr. Diamond Head.

Was there a particular part she could stab for maximum success? What angle did her sword have to be in? 40° or 45°? (Like 5° would make a difference! He had yelled back, facepalming) What about the mental state? Did she have to be in meditation? And… and...

Ichigo finally had had enough of her questions. Before she could ask him whether she should change for the ritual, (he had no doubt she had an fancy kimono somewhere in that tiny bag of hers) Ichigo had grabbed Sode no Shirayuki from her tiny midget paws and thrust the blade into the doll himself, felling mighty proud of himself when a faintly blue mist started to wrap itself around the object, and a chill permeated the air. "Finally! Rukia! Prepare to meet Sode no- WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

Rukia had grabbed the disappearing hilt of the blade and yanked it forcefully out, bringing the materialization process to a stunning halt as the mist dissipated as fast as it had came. The sword quickly solidified again in her grasp. "Rukia! You!"

"What the hell do _you_ think you're doing? Bankai is an important part of every Shinigami's experience, you can't just go forcing _my _Bankai to come out whenever you please!"

"That's only cause you were taking too damn long yourself!" He yelled back, his fists clenching.

"Shut up Ichigo, I asked you to help me achieve Bankai, not achieve my Bankai on your own! I'll do this part myself. Go away, you're bringing my mojo down!"

"Your mo-mojo? Rukia you have any idea how stupid that sounds?! Where'd you even hear that from?"

"Baka Ichigo! If that's stupid, that means…..it means you're stupid! Because I heard it from your stupid friend whats-his-name!"

That asshole Keigo! What the hell was he teaching his Rukia now?! Waitaminute, something was weird about that sentence... Was it his grammar…? "_Dafuq_!" Ichigo yelled silently when he realized. "_Did he just refer to that midget as his_?" Heaven, and her stupid Byakuya nii – san, would come crashing down on him the day Rukia was his.

"Whatever, midget. Do it yourself then." He stalked out of the training arena to cool down before he strangled her, taking out his anger on every rung of the ladder leading back up to Urahara's shop by stomping extra hard. "Hope a rung breaks under your fat ass later, you annoying twat." He cursed.

Ichigo had no idea when he had fallen asleep on the verandah of Sandal – hat's shop, but he found himself jolting awake when someone kicked him in the gut. "Oi! Carrot – top, we're going home. "

"H-huh? Wha…Rukia? What time is it?"

"It's Tiger time."

Ichigo stared blankly up at her. "Never mind, idiot. It's 1:30 in the morning. Come on…" Rukia sighed and grabbed his shirt to haul him up. Did Ichigo live in a well or something? How was he not getting her advert references? The pair was silent during the walk home. Rukia seemed to be deep in thought and every time Ichigo opened his mouth to say something, he changed his mind. It was only after they had both showered when Ichigo finally prompted some conversation.

"Did you manage to do it?" He asked, as she was tucking herself neatly into her little niche, fluffing up the Chappy print pillows around her back. "Hmm?"

"Sode no Shirayuki… Did you manage to call her out?"

"Oh." Rukia turned away from him in a hurry, and Ichigo frantically wondered if he had hit a sore spot. If he had been the one to fail, he knew he would have punched the lights out of anybody who had reminded him of it. He cringed when he saw Rukia slap herself on the face lightly. Oh crap….

"Rukia, if you don't want to reply, that's ok…"

"I did it." She finally answered in a small voice. She was grinning widely at him and Ichigo mind instantly went blank. God, she had an awesome smile…

Let's flashback a little to the moment when Ichigo had been having his mental meltdown about having made Rukia depressed, shall we?

Ichigo looked at her with a soft, imploring gaze as he asked. "Sode no Shirayuki… Did you manage to call her out?"

"Oh." Rukia felt her heart sputter about in her chest as Ichigo continued to regard her. Her mind screamed, "_Don't look at me like that!_" She wanted to stay angry at him for abandoning her halfway, even if she had been the one to chase him away, not think that the guy looked cute with those…those puppy – dog eyes! She turned her head away and clutched her shaking fist in front of her chest. "_Chappy Kami – sama! Help me! I worshipped you! Ok…ok… Rukia. Calm the hell down. You've known Ichigo for a long time. He's going to think it weird if you don't reply him. And then he's going to come over here and demand that you reply him and and…he's going to make you face him and…and you're probably going to punch him out of embarrassment…" _Rukia sighed. "_Why was having a normal conversation without wanting to both punch and hug him at the same time so hard lately?"_

"_Ok. Think about this. Think about when Sode no Shirayuki appeared in front of you. You were so happy then! THINK ABOUT IT AND FOCUS ON THAT!" _Rukia slapped herself on the face.

"_THINK HAPPY, RUKIA. THINK HAPPY!"_

She turned around to face Ichigo, grinning from the memory of seeing the beautiful white – haired female standing in front of her, a gentle smile on her lovely face as she regarded Rukia. "Rukia – sama. Finally…we meet."

Ichigo held up his palms, a worried look on his face. "Rukia, if you don't want to reply, that's ok…"

"I did it," Rukia replied. "_Good, Rukia! Hold on to this feeling!_"

"She came…and we talked… Haha. It felt really good. After so long, I finally got to meet her." Rukia looked sideways, a tiny pout on her lips, "I was always so jealous when everyone around me seemed to be achieving Bankai one after the other…but thanks to you Ichigo... I did it."

"Uhm…," Ichigo had no idea what to say. "You haven't actually reached Bankai yet but I guess…it's a start…" He slapped himself mentally. "_That was stupid, Ichigo! You're supposed to congratulate her, not bring her mojo whats-it down!"_

"Still...I'm really pleased with our progress. Thank you, Ichigo." "_Good, good… Rukia. Now say goodnight and go to sleep before he notices your smile is creepy as heck_."

"Ichigo, goodni-"

"Rukia, wait… I-"

"_What the hell more do you want from me, Ichigo Kurosaki!"_

"Hmm?"

"I….uhm…" The guy scratched his head nervously.

"_SPIT. IT. OUT." _Rukia's inner voice growled as she forced herself to unclench her teeth

"I'm really glad you came back. I… I missed you!" He blurted out. (A/n: xD)

Woah. Ok…THAT she wasn't expecting. Rukia felt her face burn up as she hurriedly tucked the corners of her Chappy print blanket around her. "B-baka! G….goodnight!"

Ichigo wanted to bury himself in a pit and never come out again. Dafuq was _that_?!

"Night, midget….hey oww!" He winced as a pillow caught him in a gut. How the hell did she manage to make a pillow hurt?!

"Shut up and go to sleep, Ichigo."

The brat was going to pay for that, Ichigo swore inwardly as he yawned widely, but that could wait…right now all he wanted to do was sl…

* * *

><p>"I'm not much of a man by the light of day, but by night I'm one hell of a lover… I'm just a sweet transvestite from…."<p>

"What the fuck is that?!" Ichigo leaped up from underneath the bedcovers, snatching at the source of that infernal noise. Why the hell was his ringtone "Sweet Transvestite"?! He seethed in anger. He could just hear Keigo's stupid laughter echoing in the background. Ichigo was going to trash the guy the next time he saw him. As if tricking Ichigo into watching a "horror" flick with him wasn't enough, the bastard had to set up his ringtone with Tim Curry's lascivious voice too.

Flipping the device open angrily, Ichigo snapped. "Who is this?!"

"K-Kurosaki – kun?"

"Eh…Inoue. Sorry… what's up?"

"Uh… I was just wondering where you were. Are you going to be late?"

"Late? What are you talking about?"

"Hehehe…I knew Kurosaki – kun would forget. Luckily I called you. Sensei wants us to be in the school hall at 10am sharp remember?"

"10… Shit! Inoue! Thanks so much for reminding me! See you!"

"See you, Ku-" On the other side of the phone, Orihime sighed. As much as she loved the guy, sometimes he could be terribly rude. But... She clutched the phone to her impossibly busty chest. "I was the first person he talked to today…"

Ichigo dashed to shower and change into his uniform. "Rukia! Get up! It's 9:40. We have to leave!"

"L-leave? But Chappy's special movie is starting in half hour…?"

"Midget! Out of the closet!"

* * *

><p>The busty ginger female looked worriedly around the hall. It was 10:05am and Ochi – sensei had started the debriefing. Where was he?<p>

Ochi – sensei sat on the edge of the stage, her legs hanging down freely as everyone was looking at her with perplexed faces. Gone was her spectacles and demure hairstyle. Instead, she was wearing contacts and her short brown hair was clipped up with a sequined butterfly claw clip across the side of her head. Also, she had shed her typical button – up blouse and pants for a simple short sleeved black dress with a modest square cut neckline. Orihime could already hear murmurs of appreciation and tiny wolf whistles circulating around her classmates. Ochi - sensei merely smiled warmly and motioned for them to quiet down.

"Ok. Class. I'm sure you're all wondering why I've called you in on a Saturday, when you'd rather be out shopping or sleeping your asses off." Some guys at the back snorted as they started to elbow each other.

"But!" The class jumped as sensei's face took on an intense glare. "Today is an important day for all you young men and women! Today, you shall all-"

Bang! The door to the hall slammed opened as the class turned to see two figures come dashing towards them. "Ah! Kurosaki – san, Kuchiki – san! How nice of you two to join us!" She nodded towards them as they muttered apologies. "Now…where was I…? Ah yes. Today, you shall all take your first step in transcending the thin border between the teenager and an adult!"

Ichigo could just facepalm. Out of all the things to say, _that _was what she chose? God, he already knew people around him were misunderstanding from their shocked looks, embarrassed giggles and nervous glances being thrown about. He looked down at his side, mildly curious about how Rukia would react…and of course, she was too busy fiddling with her phone trying to search for an online version of Chappy's shitty journey the movie, probably rated WGADAS for "Who gives a damn about supervision?", to notice sensei's faux pas.

Cheerfully unaware of how her words were being misinterpreted, Ochi – sensei slid off the stage, her soft dress swooshing around her calves. "Now pair up you lot! Male and female to each pair." She gave Chizuru a pointed look. "I want both _male_ and _female_ to a pair." The redhead gave an annoyed flush and crossed her arms.

Keigo threw himself shamelessly at Orihime, eliciting a startled gasp from her. "Inoue – san! Partner with me." And of course, he had forgotten about Orihime's 'protector'. Tatsuki elbowed him in the face and stood between the pair. "I'll partner with you," she retorted, although it was clear on her face that that was the last thing she wanted to do. Grabbing him roughly by his elbow, the she – male dragged Keigo to the other end of the hall, far _far _away from her best friend. Orihime laughed weakly as she peered around the swarm of guys who had quickly pooled around her the moment Tatsuki had left. "Inoue – san, will you be my partner?"s thronged her from all directions as she frantically around looked for the tall carrot – haired male with the perpetual frown.

Ichigo stood there with a grimace as a couple of his classmates crowded around him, cooing about how they thought it was so cool that he was such a bad boy. "Eh…sorry. I'm not….no, I'm not interested…Hey! Where do you think you're touching?! Hey stop.. I'm don't want to.. siiiiighssss…"

Despite his tip – toeing and head straining, Ichigo could hardly see the midget girl over the fangirl crowd. An odd feeling clenched in his chest_. "Had somebody already asked her?" _Out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo noticed Ishida Uryuu breaking free of the crowd of un – partnered boys…and walk straight to Rukia, who was still meddling with her phone. Ishida… if it was him, Ichigo supposed he wouldn't mind so much if he didn't manage to ask Rukia himself. The guy was too straight – laced to try anything funny anyway. God knows it would instead be funny as heck watching the Quincy and Shinigami argue their asses off about every little thing.

Rukia looked up at Ishida Uryuu in surprise, wondering why the Quincy would come to talk to her. As far as she knew, the guy tried to avoid contact with her as much as he could. Seeing her shocked look, Ishida quickly explained the situation, sighing when a she ohhh-ed in realization. Ichigo snorted back a laugh as Ishida popped the question, his face looking as though he had sucked on a lemon.

"So Kuchiki – san, would you… ahem… be my pa-"

"Uryuu – kun! No no! I want you with Mizuira – chan over there!" Ochi – sensei pointed to a soft – spoken girl who was standing by herself on the edge, her bespectacled eyes widening when she realized that sensei had just matchmaked her off. Ishida looked surprised for a moment before nodding and walking away from Rukia. Ochi – sensei took hold of Rukia's wrist lightly and looked around the room for a while before dragging her to the side of a small boy. "Kuchiki – san. I would like you to pair up with Touya – kun instead."

"Eh? Uh….ok…" Rukia looked at her partner warily. Dominique Touya was, like her, a transfer, except for the fact that he was very much alive. Other than that, the two of them hardly even looked at each other, let alone interacted in class. "Nice to meet you…um… Touya – kun. I'm Kuchiki Rukia."

"Dominique, or Dom, is fine. I grew up in France and the States. We aren't so formal there. I look forward to being your partner for whatever hellish scheme 'cher has in mind for us…. Rukia." He grinned, revealing a perfect set of teeth, as he extended a hand to her. Rukia shook his hand and decided instantly that she liked the guy. Standing a ways from her, Ichigo gritted his teeth. What the hell was the midget doing, smiling like that to Dafuq-was-his-name-again? Damoo Tomayatta something? Now she was shaking his hand and smiling! Damnit! Who was this scrawny asshole?! Ichigo sized him up.

He could see why Ochi – sensei had paired them up. Damooshki was pretty much about the same height and build as Rukia, i.e. he was _puny_ for his age. Added to that, Ichigo figured that the funny way with which Doucheki spoke would put Rukia off. Hmph. No competition there then, Ichigo smirked confidently to himself.

"Kurosaki – kun."

Ichigo turned in surprise to see Orihime standing next to him, a light blush dusting her cheeks. "Inoue – san?"

"Ochi – sensei paired us up." She said shyly, smiling.

Before Ichigo could respond, Ochi – sensei shouted for them to listen to her. "Now, listen up people. All of you have been paired up so we'll start with the agenda. Joining us today is my fellow teacher, Ken – san." She turned to greet a smiling middle – aged man in a simple black dress shirt and dark blue slacks jogging towards them. "Nice to meet you all, I'm Ken Ooshima. Now, I assume Ochi – san has explained what's going on?" When he was met with confused stares, he laughed softly and turned towards Ochi – sensei. "Shall we just show them?"

The students stared in surprise as they watched their teacher walk towards the radio she had set on the stage and flick it on. Instantly, a saucy tune filled the air. Ichigo felt his face drain of colour. He had heard that piece before, and judging from some of his friends' faces, they recognized it too. That track was recently featured in the latest hit series "So You Think You Can Dance?" episode, danced to by a couple performing the tango.

Oh shit…

The class fell into silence as they watched Ken – sensei lightly place his hand on their teacher's waist as they turned slowly in a circle. Still moving, Ochi – sensei broke the silent gaze they had on each other to look at the stunned students. "I want you all to pay attention and listen to what I say while we demonstrate the steps. This current move is called the _Calesita, _or the Carousel. Now this…" Ochi – sensei brought their hands up to chest height as the rhythm of dance changed. She turned to pivot around her partner's body, using her left foot as a fulcrum to rotate her torso slowly. Similarly, Ken – sensei pivoted in time with her, except that with every turn she made, he crossed his left leg over his right then swung it out in a wide circle beside him. They repeated the process thrice before they moved apart. "This is a _Barrida._ Usually one person is supposed to sweep their foot behind the partner's ankle to sort of drag them into a turn, but we figured this _Barrida_ would be easier on beginners."

Smiling widely at them, Ochi – sensei clapped loudly twice. "Now I want you all to space out and practice the _Calesita and the Barrida _with your partners. Ken – sensei and I will be going around helping you."

Instantly, cries of protest filled the air, which Ochi – sensei shushed down. "This year's winter prom will feature a dance – off amongst selected students. Of course there'll be selection processes before the actual competition. Contestants will be judged on presentation, teamwork and routine and… Shh! Pipe down, people. The winning pair will win 100,000 yen… Yes yes, quiet down… Of course, there'll be runner – up prizes. Every student is expected to try out during the selection process. Your current partner is not permanent. You may arrange pairs in your own time but stick to the current pairing for today. Go."

Obviously, 100,000 yen was enough to motivate even the laziest students. Pairs immediately broke off from the main crowd to find a decent spot to practice. Instantly, sounds of ouch, damnit, shit, sonofa- and oh so many sorry-s started ringing about. Ken – sensei chuckled amusedly as he started moving around to demonstrate the proper steps before more toes were broken.

Rukia turned around as Ochi – sensei tapped her shoulder. "Yes, sensei?"

"Kuchiki – san, given that you're leaving in a few days, may I know if you'll be taking part in this competition?"

Dom turned to look at his partner curiously as Rukia ohh-ed. "Sensei uh…I don't think I will be. I probably won't be coming back to this school anymore after I leave this time."

"That's ok. Touya – kun, one girl from our class, Miura Keika, is currently on sick leave for chicken – pox. She should be back by the end of the month. Until she returns, I'll practice with you, although that is technically against the rules…"

"Hai, 'cher. Merci beaucoup!" Dom replied, saluting her cheekily as Ochi – sensei left to help the others.

Rukia giggled. It was so weird to hear a mix of Japanese, English slang and French spoken in a French accent in a single sentence. Dom turned to grin at her, his green eyes twinkling. "Come, ai-bou. Let's trash these other guys, even if it's only practice." Rukia smiled at the confident tone in which Dom spoke as he took her hand and led her to an empty spot. She was liking this guy more and more by the minute.

* * *

><p>"Ouch… Kurosaki – kun…"<p>

"Ah! Sorry, Inoue."

"It's ok… Let's try that again." Orihime raised their hands up, and slowly pivoted on her foot the way Ochi – sensei had demonstrated. She had to concentrate extra hard on how she moved her legs in time to the music when she could hardly hear it over the crazed beating of her heart. She found herself staring at Ichigo's legs as he swung his left leg outwards awkwardly. He was so tall, she thought shyly, blushing. Sure, there were many guys who were as tall, or even taller than Ichigo, but he was the only one who walked around with such a confident, proud stride that she could not help but stare. Orihime peeked up at him from under her lashes, admiring his strong jawline, and wondered if he could hear her heartbeat too.

Ichigo on the other hand, was losing concentration for an entirely different reason. Whenever he turned Inoue around, Rukia and her partner Doucheki (Yes that sounded right, Ichigo thought), never seemed to be out of his line of sight. His jaw ticked when he saw Doucheki's hand on her waist. His eye twitched when Doucheki turned Rukia so quickly that she stumbled against his chest, her hands clutching onto his shoulders for support. He grimaced when Doucheki's leg brushed Rukia's during their _Barrida_. Damnit, dance practice or not, Doucheki was seriously making himself into a highly attractive punching bag. Ichigo wanted nothing more than to crush the hand that had the gall to hold Rukia so close, and break the nose that breathed the air around her. When this was over, he was going to…

"Kurosaki – kun! Pay attention! Tango is the dance of lovers, not the lead – up to a gang fight! Wipe that snarl from your face and do this seriously." Ochi – sensei snapped at him impatiently as she moved past them, smacking the back of his head as she did so.

_The dance of lovers… _Ichigo had never felt more desire to hit somebody then he did now, namely one scrawny boy not 20 meters from him.

"Ano… Kurosaki – kun?"

Ichigo turned to see Inoue looking up at him, a little worried.

Sighing, the male apologized and tried his darndest to clear his mind as he focused on practice, although the thought of a certain bunny midget and her puny-ass of a partner never left his mind completely…

* * *

><p>An:

Tenshintai: White mannequin used by Ichigo and Rukia's to manifest their Bankai.

Aibou, Japanese: partner.

Merci beaucoup, French: Thank you very much.

If I messed up the tango terms or descriptions, feel free to scold me! I have no dance experience so I had to rely on Wiki _

Please review!

Faie.


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